When Olive Met Peter
by Kadyn
Summary: The first time they met was not in Iraq.  The first time Olive met Peter was in a daycare center run by his father in Jacksonville Florida.  Rated for End of the World themes/alcohol-drug use/and language.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own them, never will unless that elusive lottery ticket finally comes through…then me and Mr. Joshua are gonna have a talk! ; )

When Olive Met Peter

Chapter One

Jacksonville, FL 7:30 am

They day started out like any other, and neither Walter Bishop nor William Bell had any reason to suspect that it was anything else. And as smart as Walter Bishop liked to think he was, and there was no denying the book smarts; he would recount many, many years later to his son that at the time he understood very little of things like foreshadowing; and that often times it is the most innocuous of actions that set off cataclysmic results; that once set into motion could not be undone.

It was classic August Florida weather, hot, humid, miserable.

The air clung to the back of your neck and filled your lungs with a heavy dose of humidity and car fumes from the local highway that issued traffic to and from the military base; and since it also served as one of only two main highways that headed into and out of the city, there was no such thing as rush hour traffic; because the noise and cars never really stopped; it was rush hour traffic here all the time. Rush hour traffic filled clogged with rednecks, and suburban house husbands and wives as they trekked back and forth to the better paying jobs in the city. Trucks had big mud flaps and various military bumper stickers and emblems, accents were quant, and on a scorcher like today Tempers were short, and hand gestures one might typically associate with more northern cities flew frequently from car windows.

It was not a day that Walter Bishop wanted to be escorting his young son with him to work. But Elizabeth's sponsor had called and announced the night before that since Elizabeth hadn't been making it to the weekly meetings she would be coming over to pick her up; and Elizabeth had tried to blame missing her AA obligation on not wanting Peter to realize his mother was a raging alcoholic.

If the pathetic redneck excuse of a town that bordered this base had had a half-way decent year round school this would not have been an issue; but seeing as school would not be back for at least another month there was nothing to be done.

Not that Peter didn't know that his mom more than occasionally nipped from bottles in the pantry that were certainly not soda pop, or kool-aid. Peter also didn't need to see his mother popping anti-depressants every morning to know that something was wrong. It didn't take a genius to see your family fraying at the seams; and while children had a rather uncanny knack for surviving even in the midst of such chaos they also often found a way to place the blame upon themselves for such events; even when no one was pointing fingers.

No, Walter could not leave his son at home today where he would not be in the way, so Walter had instead given him strict instructions on what he was and was not allowed to do; the laundry list of restrictions coming out more and more like drill sergeants orders and less like a father the closer they got to the clinic.

Not that Walter Bishop had ever been much of a father to Peter; he was much too preoccupied with work and its implications.

Before….he wouldn't think about that now…

Before he had been obsessed with finding a cure; with fixing the mistake the universe had so harshly dealt him. And now, as he and Billy were truly beginning to understand the possible implications of what his prior actions might mean; he had found a new obsession.

Allowing it to consume once again every aspect of his life until he was reduced to once again ignoring the child he'd risked the very fabric of the universe to save; watching his wife reduce herself to an empty shell of alcohol and Prozac pills.

But Walter Bishop could not stop now to save his family; they would have to save themselves from their own petty issues.

Walter had much larger problems to deal with; like preparing his soldiers for the coming war that would determine the end of all life as they knew it.

He was already saving his family yet again; this time with the added weight of the entire world rested on his shoulders; and the strain was slowly driving Walter Bishop towards madness.

But Peter being just a boy, could hardly comprehend all the reasons his family was in disarray and his father seemed put out by just his very presence; oftentimes his father would babble onto him about things he didn't remember; or try to insist that foods he disliked were his favorite; Peter Bishop was already quite certain that his father was insane.

And his mother Elizabeth could hardly stand to look at him, let alone spend time with him in her room; which is where she was most often these days; popping pills; uppers and downers right and left until she was so zoned out she might as well have been dead; and when she was awake, if you could call it that, she stumbled through the house with the pungent odor of Jim Bean and Jack Daniel's following in her wake.

Some kids mothers smelled like fresh baked cookies and clean laundry; Peter's mother smelled like a brewery and staggered like a drunk.

She locked herself in her room most days crying for hours and Peter would be left to his own devices. Mostly he read books; anything he could get his hands on; mystery and sci-fi were his favorites, but also he ingested technical manuals and military war-far and combat handbooks that he found in his father's office…the science and physics papers that always covered the walls and floor held little interest for Peter…not because they were foreign symbols and pointless computations; he understood them fine; but they were also boring; and represented everything that kept his father away all day and sometimes all night; and made his mother cry endlessly and drink with her prescription pills.

Peter was well aware that his father did not appreciate his presence today of all days; and while Peter did not understand why it hurt all the same.

Very short chapter, especially for me O.o But as this is a different kind of writing that what I usually supply…lol obviously I thought shorter chapters would be okay. Let me know if you like it and I should continue, Thanks for reading! -KEC


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. I'm just exercising my muse. ; )

Sunshine Day-Care and Child Recreation Center

8:00 am

"Olive, hurry up, I'm going to be late to work, I still have to drop your sister off!"

Olive sighed with much more practice then a typical child her age should be capable of and once more launched into her plea to not be left here, and could she please attend the Other daycare that her sister got to attend? They did fun things there like color, and play games.

"Olive, I know you don't understand but this is a big deal; not just anyone is accepted to this place; and with the gov't grant…look I know you don't understand but we just can't afford to send you both to another school; not with the divorce fees; especially when this one is free. I know you don't like the tests but it can't be that bad; honestly a few cognitive tests a day; I went to the orientation to missy, so don't start that nonsense again; there not sticking you with needles for Pete-sake, it's fractions and essay problems. Now get inside my makeup is melting off!"

Olive totted her lunch bag inside, feeling the heavy metal doors to the building clang shut behind her, blocking out the oppressive heat that was already baking the sidewalks to near egg-frying temperature.

She hated it here, the other kids were nice and they had toys and books and snack time. The real problem was that no one would believe her about the tests they were running; she tried to tell her mother and that had gotten her nowhere.

She'd tried to tell her father; and he'd had her sent to a shrink certain it was some deep emotional scaring caused by the impending divorce.

No one bothered to believe a little girl, with a wild imagination that talked about glittery objects that didn't belong; and nightmares with monsters and funny tasting medications and scary dentist chairs.

And then there were the teachers here; Olive didn't consider them to be teachers at all; they were cold and standoffish. More like office furniture then the friendly and oftentimes overly cheerful staff that worked in before and after school programs and summer camps.

Olive was certain that they didn't actually like children at all; which was silly really; why would someone run a daycare center for children when they wanted nothing to do with them except hook them to funny wires; and ask them stupid questions.

Olive continued on down the brightly lit linoleum floored hallway, her Mary Jane's clicking against the smoothly waxed floors. She stopped outside the door to classroom one staring through the thin slit of glass the thin grey lines crisscrossing through the room. The other students who were gathering around their desks and tables, solemn and subdued today was Monday; and things always happened on Monday.

As Olive stared into the room the florescent light overhead flickered and then popped. Tilting her head up towards the sound Olive stared at the now darkened light casing…the edges of it tinted black. A faint odor of smoke and something else tainted the air making Olives nose wrinkle in protest.

"Olive, What are you doing out here? Off with you, inside with the others; Now Shoo!" Olive turned to see Dr. Bishop approaching from the entrance and behind him was another young boy Olive had never seen in the school before.

He wore a dark sullen expression and his hair stuck up in several different directions like he hadn't bothered to comb it in weeks. His shirt was rumpled and one sneaker was untied the plastic casing of one lace slapping the ground with a light click with each footfall as he paced behind Dr. Bishop, almost perfectly in step as if he were trying to keep his distance.

Olive tilted her head to the side, her eyes squinting reflexively against the light; as the boy approached it became more obvious and Olive's eyes no longer had to strain to see it.

The boy glowed and wavered, the light arching off of him shimmered like a desert mirage. Olive gasped and took a step back; the glimmering waves making her stomach turn lightly with a seasick like un-ease.

Dr. Bishop had been about to turn and proceed into his office when he froze, hand halfway to the doorknob. He jerked his head toward the boy as if realizing for the first time he was being followed, then turned back to Olive, but she was bolting through the door to the classroom already, his yells of outrage ringing in her ears.

Okay, I cannot remember the actual name of the daycare center that was in Jacksonville...if anyone does please put it in a review and I'll edit this! Thanks!

Okay, that's Chapter Two, again short for me…but I think bouncing back and forth between Peter and Olive works well for this story. Let me know what you think, love it, hate it? Review Please!


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